Road Widener now offers the industry's first offset vibratory roller attachment. The attachment's offset, patented design allows the host machine to drive safely on flat ground while compacting sloping shoulders, ditches and other hard-to-reach areas alongside the road, a task that has traditionally put road crews in danger of rollover accidents.
The offset vibratory roller attaches to most loaders, graders, compact track loaders and skid steers, operating off the host machine's engine and hydraulics. Utilizing the host machine for power reduces maintenance by 90 percent over self-propelled rollers, while also offering the versatility of three interchangeable drums sizes and up to 30-degree pivot angles.
"Having spent years working for a paving contractor, I witnessed firsthand the daily struggles of sacrificing safety to compact on a slope," said Lynn Marsh, Road Widener president. "The risk of tipping is high, but there were few options to address the challenge. The Offset Vibratory Roller offers a viable alternative, allowing contractors to quickly and efficiently get the job done without risking an accident. It's a game changer."
The roller compacts a variety of materials including stone, asphalt, gravel and topsoil. Once attached to a host machine's lift arm, the roller becomes operable by easily connecting to the host machine's hydraulics and pairing the remote control. From there, all aspects of the attachment, including height, angle, extension and compaction adjustments, can be operated by a single crewmember via the remote control.
The offset vibratory roller has a total reach of nine feet and can be purchased with a 2, 3 or 4-foot-wide drum. The drums can pivot up to 30 degrees, reach up to 30 inches below the mounting point, and are interchangeable. This allows road crews to take on jobs of varying sizes and aggregates by purchasing additional drums instead of investing in multiple self-propelled machines with engines that can fail. Additionally, the vibratory feature operates between 2,500-3,500 vibrations per minute for optimal compaction.
The offset vibratory roller operates without an engine, powertrain, or any associated parts of its own, which makes for 90 percent less maintenance than self-propelled machines by cutting out traditional engine and transmission service. Instead, the roller contains five grease fittings that need to be lubricated every 10 hours, or more often if operating in adverse conditions. Standard hardware and hydraulic checks along with general cleaning are also part of the daily maintenance routine.
"We manufactured the Offset Vibratory Roller to fit onto the equipment contractors already have and are familiar with," said Marsh. "The design allows for simplified maintenance, easy transport and offers an unmatched ROI."
